Metastasis-initiating cells induce and exploit a fibroblast niche to fuel malignant colonization of the lungs

Abstract

How cancer cells engage the microenvironment to establish metastasis is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that CXCR3-expressing breast cancer cells secrete IL-1 to induce a paracrine crosstalk with fibroblasts in the lung, which involves CXCL9/10 production and results in colonization of the lung.